Filed under: Biodiesel, Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, European Union

The EU might forbid imports of positive crops to produce biodiesel, namely palm oil and other imports from Latin America (soy). Lots of reports that have calculated how unsustainable most of these products are: considering they destroy natural environments to create croplands, use fossil fuels in the machinery, or need to use fertilizers made from natural gas.

This, not being precisely “new” leads us to the second reason used by the EU to ban undoubtful products related to biodiesel and ethanol: biofuel imports have made easier for positive exotic species to invade European shores, as Ladislav Miko (Director in the European Commission, DG Environment, Natural Resources Protection and Biodiversity, pictured here) said during a conference held in Madrid that week. Not a singled-out example of an invasion, besides assured algae and a mussel invasion which has more to

see with recreational sailing, are noted in our source, so take that with a pinch of salt.

Therefore the EU has come from a point where biofuels were considered the magical cure for global warming to an nearly opposite one raising questions. As one of our readers once commented, these concerns seem to be focused on adding red tape for imports and favoring local production, which itself has less financial support from the government. But soon after the Ministers say that the EU needs to get 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, so …

[Source: Econoticias]

 

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Original post by Xavier Navarro